Chapter 75: His Final Wish 2

Chapter 75: His Final Wish 2 "I want you to marry Mr. Dad." Heather blinked, her breath catching in her throat. Of all the things Alex could have asked for, this was not one she had anticipated. Her mind had thought about grand adventures—perhaps he’d wish to see the mountaintops, and she’d already begun imagining how she’d carry him there, despite his frail condition. But this? This was beyond unexpected. "No," she responded instinctively, the word escaping her lips before she could process it. There was no deliberation, no weighing of options. Just a firm, immediate refusal. She felt a tightness in her chest, a knot of irritation she couldn’t quite place. Her brows furrowed, and she looked at Alex, who looked back with wide, hopeful eyes. His lips trembled slightly, and she couldn’t tell if he was on the verge of tears or simply overwhelmed by emotion. "Alex," she began, her voice softening, "it’s not that simple. We... we’re just not compatible." She sighed, trying to convey the complexity of the situation in words a child could understand. Alex’s eyes remained fixed on hers, it was a mixture of surprise and disappointment flickering within them. He hadn’t expected an immediate agreement, but he’d held onto a sliver of hope that she might say yes, especially given his current state. "What about... my happiness?" he whispered, barely audible. His question struck her deeply. Children his age weren’t supposed to think about such things, weren’t supposed to carry such heavy thoughts. But Alex was different—wise beyond his years, always knowing how to touch her heart with his words. "Let’s just do it for him," Caius interjected, his tone was casual, and almost dismissive. Heather nearly laughed at the absurdity. She knew Caius too well to know this wasn’t about Alex. If this were truly about Alex, he wouldn’t have told her to abort the pregnancy all those years ago. He wouldn’t have placed her in this predicament. During their marriage, they had always been sexually active, but Caius had always been cautious, using condoms to prevent her getting pregnant. Even when they ran out of protection, he made sure he didn’t cum inside her. He had made it clear: he didn’t want a child with her. She, on the other hand, had longed for a baby, had dreamed of holding a little one in her arms. But every time she brought it up, he shut her down, reminding her of the transactional nature of their union. It wasn’t until a night when he was drunk, his guard lowered, that she became pregnant. She chose not to tell him, fearing his reaction. But he found out anyway. And now, he was suddenly interested in Alex’s well-being? "It’s his final wish, Heather," Caius pressed. She shot him a sharp look, hoping he’d side with her in denying Alex’s request. But instead, he was pushing her under the bus, and making her the villain in their son’s eyes. She knew his true motive—the ledger of inheritance. She tried to communicate her disapproval with a glare, silently pleading with him to stop. But he ignored her, continuing his charade. "Caius," she said through clenched teeth, "you and I both know why we can’t marry." "We need to put our differences aside and do this for Alex." Heather shook her head. Alex couldn’t see the manipulative man his father was, but she could. She saw through the facade and the calculated moves. "For him or for you?" she challenged. She resented being painted as the antagonist in front of Alex. If he had asked for anything else, she would have given it to him—anything but this. "This is his final wish. It’s not about me; it’s about him." She was unimpressed. Caius had been pushing for marriage, and she had made it clear she’d rather face imprisonment than be with him again. Now, he was using Alex as a pawn, and she wasn’t going to let him. "Stop playing mind games, Caius. I see through your tricks." "Why are you involving me when this is about Alex, who might not make it through surgery?" "What right do you have to say such vile things?" Her voice rose higher than she intended to. "Do you even realize what you’re saying to me and to him?" Caius remained still, his hands in his pockets, and avoiding confrontation. But Heather felt the need to defend herself against his insinuations. "I’m not saying Alex won’t survive..." "But that’s exactly what you’re implying!" Heather’s voice escalated. "It’s his final wish, and if you truly loved him, you’d honor it." That was the breaking point. Madness. It was a feeling. "You son of a bitch!" she exclaimed, limping from her seat. "You want to go low? I’ll go lower." She turned to Alex. "Do you want to know why I won’t marry him, even as your final wish?" Alex looked at her, he was uncertain, but she continued. "That man," she pointed to Caius, "your ’father’ told me to abort you when you were just a fetus. He didn’t want you. He doesn’t love you." "Heather!" Caius interjected. "He threatened to kill you if I didn’t terminate the pregnancy." "Heather, stop it." "No. He deserves to know the truth. You’ve brought nothing but turmoil into my life. I found peace only after leaving that hellish marriage. And now you think I’ll just marry you?" "How many times must I say I regret everything? When will you forgive me?" "Maybe when I see you cry tears of blood and crawl on the earth, seeking redemption." Caius remained silent. He was processing her words. He knew he deserved this treatment, but he didn’t know how long it’d continue before they move past this Chapter. "You don’t mean that." He brushed off, trying to sound unaffected. "I do. Lately, I’ve been wishing you’d disappear from the face of the earth, leaving Alex and me in peace." She didn’t want to stop, not until she began hearing low gasping breaths. Heather turned to see Alex struggling to breathe on the bed. "Alex? Baby." She rushed to his side, wrapping her arms around him. She was beginning to panic. Caius rushed to the corner of the room and he pressed the emergency button. He moved closer to Alex, trying to raise him up, so he wouldn’t choke in the process. In less than a few minutes, nurses filled the room. Heather was still holding onto Alex, watching helplessly as he began to seize. "My baby!" she screamed as they gently pulled her away, placing an oxygen mask on him. They were trying to stabilize his condition. The doctor came in now. He was trying to assess the situation. Heather clutched her chest with both her hands. Her heart was beating fast and she didn’t know what to do. All she could do was stare at the scene unfolding before her very eyes. What had she done? Why had she said those things to Alex? "Please, leave the room," a nurse gently urged, touching her shoulder. Heather pushed the woman’s hand away, her eyes remained locked on Alex as the doctor performed chest compressions, trying to revive him. "No. Alex... Baby." She mumbled, staggering forward. She tried to move closer, but a nurse held her back. "Let go of me!" Heather yelled, sobbing uncontrollably. She fought against the nurse, desperate to reach Alex. "Don’t let her near him," the doctor instructed. "Please, take her out." Despite their efforts, they couldn’t remove her from the room. Her focus was solely on Alex—was he alive? Was he slipping away? Heather was relentlessly fighting against the nurses begging her to go outside, she didn’t want to, until she knew Alex was alright. She held onto the hospital bed, the nurses tried to pull her, but it was all in vein. Not until a strong pull carried her out. Caius had taken hold of her. As the door closed behind them, she couldn’t help but hit him, her fists pounded against his chest. But he didn’t retaliate, he only accepted her blows as part of her anguish. "This is all your fault," Heather sobbed, her eyes burned with tears. Her son was in crisis, and she didn’t know what to do. And Caius didn’t say anything. He stood stiffly like he was holding something in, maybe anger, maybe guilt, or maybe just words he didn’t dare speak aloud. She kept hitting him with the weak force of someone who had already cried too much, who had already emptied herself out. "Let go of me," she said, her voice was barely a whisper. But he didn’t. He only stepped back when she stopped resisting. Heather stumbled away from him, and walked to the far end of the hallway. She leaned her head against the cold, white wall. Everything felt heavy—her chest, her legs, her very breath. She blamed herself. She blamed Caius. She blamed the way the day had unfolded, the way her emotions had flared, the way her words had spilled out without warning. She clenched her eyes shut and tapped her foot rapidly on the floor. She felt restless at this point and just couldn’t be still. She tried inhaling deeply through her nose, then again and again, trying to calm herself. But it wasn’t working. She started pacing around the hallway. Back and forth, back and forth, down the same few feet of corridor. The doctor still hadn’t come out, and it had been nearly an hour. It felt like a lifetime. Every tick of the clock on the wall made her feel closer to losing her mind. "This is all your fault," she said again, turning suddenly toward him. He lifted his head slightly. "How is any of this my fault?" he asked, his voice low but sharp. "If you hadn’t told him all of that—about me, about what I said when you were pregnant—do you really think he would’ve... convulsed or whatever that was?" His words hit her like a slap.